Archive for August, 2007

A call from sil two days ago and brother is dead. He shot himself in the garage of his home. He left behind a loving wife, 10 year old step daughter that was crazy about him, two 20 something daughters and three precious granddaughters. You may wonder how this belongs on a financial website.

He had recently lost his job and like many of us on this board was in debt for things and could not see a way out. Even with the support of his wife it was going to take selling many of the things that were important to a certain lifestyle. We are only talking about the middle class keeping up with the Joneses' but nevertheless it was due to feeling that he had to maintain a certain lifestyle or his brothers and mom might consider him a failure. While this is not how we would have felt at all that was his feeling. He will be missed by everyone who life he touched. He was not a old man by any means but going to be 50 on his next birthday.

How this as opened my eyes. After we return from the memorial we will be selling everything that we can - items of extravance, diamond rings, big screen tv's, home three times the size of what we need for two people. I cannot let his death be without any meaning and neither can my dh. Perhaps not the best reason to downsize but finally the slap in the face we need to make some serious changes.

Any one who reads this that may be having the same feelings of hopelessness that he did, please talk it over with some one. Your loved ones will not be
better off without you.